Tinubu launches national agricultural extension policy

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, launched an agricultural extension policy to improve dissemination of innovations and technology to farmers to achieve food security.

The President, while launching the policy at the opening ceremony of the Sixth Africa-Wide Agricultural Extension Week, yesterday, said the manual would benefit extension administrators, subject-matter specialists, extension agents as well as farmers along the agricultural value chains.

Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the extension policy would provide a pragmatic, effective and efficient demand driven pluralistic, ICT-enabled and market oriented extension service to all stakeholders, including youths, women, and people with special needs to optimally use resources to promote sustainable agriculture and socio-economic development of the country.

Meanwhile, a Southwest socio-political group, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLF), yesterday, commended the decision of France to refund the $150 million loot of the late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, back to Nigeria as a grant.

The group also expressed gratitude towards the decision of some foreign countries that are making efforts at helping Nigeria to recover stolen money put into many financial institutions across the globe.

President of the group, Akin Malaolu, who spoke with The Guardian, enjoined Tinubu to put such repatriated money into judicious usage.

He said Tinubu’s government could not at this time be unconcerned with the rising food crisis and lack of employment opportunities in the country.